Eccedentesiast || Bang Chan

12

Sitting on the corner booth felt like a trip down memory lane. The seats and tables were still the same old one we used to vandalize when we were in highschool. Its isn't a major vandal but on the side of the table, there's a scribble of our name in english. Those days when we still weren't bothered by anything too difficult to handle.

I looked around the little diner and realized that the place didn't change all that much at all. The old lady still run the place and upon entering, she immediately recognized me with her poor eyesight that could see through the heart and the soul. "Wow! You've grown!" She smiled. Her thick glasses made her eyes seem smaller, her poor posture made her look older and her white threads of hair now looked like silver under certain lightings.

"Hello, ma'am, you look younger than the last time I saw you." I chuckled.

"You silly. But where's that funny boy?" She asked, probably referring to Chan. She calls him a funny boy because back then, Chan had his hair dyed in different colors such as pink... Now he's sporting a red. "He's coming too. Just wait."

I comfortably sat while drinking a hot green tea, enjoying the warmth it brought me. As time went by, I drank another cup and then another until I emptied the teapot. But even then, there were no signs of Chan showing up. By then, various thoughts raced through my mind. Maybe he was just running late because of the traffic... Or maybe he was just caught up with work in his studio... Or maybe something important came up.

After almost an hour of waiting, I took my phone out and tried messaging him only to receive no responses in the end. I also tried calling him but I was immediately sent to voice mail. So I thought maybe I'll try contacting him again after 10 minutes.

"Child, are you still waiting?" Granny asked, putting down on the table a bowl of ramen I didn't order.

"He's probably busy." I sighed.

"Aigoo, I should give him a good scolding. Don't worry and eat this for now. It's on me." She winked before leaving to the kitchen.

This occurrence isn't new to me however I'm feeling more disappointed today than the other days because I actually looked forward to this date. I dolled myself up to make myself look fitting beside him. I wanted to show him a better version of myself. Its just a shame he isn't coming.

I ate the noodles in silence, checking my phone frequently and waiting for some sort of reply from him. I slready left messages and missed calls earlier I knew leaving more would only bother him so I stopped myself from formulating a new message and instead decided to settle on waiting for a reply.... Which I never received the rest of the night.

After I finished eating, I thanked the owner and left, walking down the cold side walk. It was already deep in the night and the streets were dark until I reached a popular district famous for its night life. The dark streets turned bright, illuminated by the neon signs and fairy lights. Youthful people were having fun walking around with their friends, some were drinking, everyone were having fun. It did look fun and I wanted to experience it for myself but then again... Was I in the place to do that?

Suddenly, I started feeling a little bit sad and lonely. My day which started out nice and happy is turning into this sadness. I dressed up nice for once and I actually expected something.... But only to be stood up on my first ever date.

"Must be nice partying all night..." I mumbled to myself, walking down the path and on my way home.

"Oh if it isn't Dani."

I halted and looked up to see the person standing right in front of me. The familiar tall and proud figure of the rich kid I encountered before stood before me. "It's me, Max! Do you remember?"

"I remember, yeah." I answered, showing as little interest as possible but still showing respect at the same time.

"You look dashing, were you on a date?" He asked as his eyes ran from my feet up to my face, assessing my look for tonight. "I like your top..." He mumbled, smiling at me.

"I wasn't in a date." I said, probably sounding too defensive. But I didn't want him finding out that I got stood up.

"Oh then you're alone? Wanna join me? My friend just left and I don't wanna go home yet." He said, pointing to the pub right behind him. "Oh yeah, my sister owns the place. I'll get you any drink for free."

The term free almost sold me but I remembered I had two siblings at home waiting for me. "Sorry, I can't drink." I wanted to be wild for one night but I knew I couldn't do it due to my responsibilities.

"Oh well, we can drink coffee?" He asked, once more.

I guess a coffee isn't too bad. I also didn't want to go home without having a little bit of fun. I mean, I did dress for the occasion. "Alright fine."

"Of course!" He led me inside the pub.

The pub on the outside looked small and simple but upon entering, the place wasn't just simple, it was elegant and expensive looking. The place was packed with people who were simply enjoying themselves. Max and I took a seat in a corner booth away from the buzz.

"Good evening, here are the menu." A waiter handed us the menu.

"Go on, pick any drink and food you like. It's on the house." He smirked.

"Then, a hot choco with cinnamon and a vanilla cake." I smiled, already imagining how delicious it might taste like. I found myself drooling a but at the thought of the food but held myself back. I also reminded myself to buy cake for my siblings if I ever get the chance to.

"Aight, that for the lady and an iced macha latte for me." After he ordered, the waiter left. "Just so you know, I haven't had a sip of alcohol today. I was planning to, but you said you don't drink so coffee it is."

Surprisingly, this unexpected get together cleared up my misconceptions against him. He wasn't really a spoiled brat. He wasn't as dumb as I initially thought. In fact, he was considerate and he's a great listener. He gives the right reaction for everything I say and even though the place was loud and noisy, I could tell he was paying attention to whatever I say. After finding out how comfortable it was to talk to him, we found ourselves chatting away.

We talked about the tasks our professors gave us. We talked about our student loans. Surprisingly, his tuition wasn't payed for by his parents. Turns out, he's working under his parents' company to pay off his loans. He wasn't as bad as I thought him to be but maybe i'm just being too nice and naive.

"You're going home right? Let me drive you there." He said as we exited the pub. One more surprising thing is he turns out to be more of a gentleman in contrast to our first meeting which earned him a terrible image from me. Tonight, he took off his jacket and placed it around my shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll take the bus." I said. "And you can take your jacket back, I'm not really cold."

He faced me with his lips in a pout. "Woman, you're hurting my pride. Just accept my kindness will you? I swear I'll bring you to your home safely." He chuckled. "I swear on my new car, I did not drink. And consider wearing that jacket holding it for me, alright? Alright. Let's go, I parked around the corner."

"Fine." I chuckled, hugging the jacket closer. "I'm actually a tiny bit cold."